Feedback: January 2020

Innovations in partnerships is the power of business, whether it’s cities innovating in how they connect to business or businesses forging ties within a community. What strategic partnership have you employed this past year that has propelled your business’s growth?

STEPHEN HARTMAN

Head of Sales, Americas
Telia Carrier
Sector: Telecommunication

Over the past few years, the Greater Phoenix region has become a major traffic hub for data-center operators in the U.S. due to its sustainable power costs, attractive tax rates and the growing number of companies expanding into the region. To meet the demands for bandwidth services throughout Phoenix, we partner with companies such as phoenixNAP to ensure they can provide seamless connectivity for their customers in a cost-effective way.

Holding the position as the number one internet backbone provider in the world, we were pleased to expand our existing partnership with phoenixNAP to support the demand of their growing client base not only in the Phoenix market but globally. We have had a presence in this market since the early 2000s, but strategic partnerships for local Phoenix data centers with carriers who can support rapid growth will be key to keeping pace with growth in the region. Our investment in the Phoenix market is a testament to our customer-driven approach, adding additional diversity and capacity as we expand our global IP backbone.

Stephen Hartman leads the North American sales team for Telia Carrier, a global carrier operating the No. 1-ranked internet backbone AS1299, and a fiber optic network connecting more than 300 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. With more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, Hartman held leadership roles at CenturyLink, Level 3, Broadwing, Verizon Business and Unite Private Networks.

DOMENICK MONTANILE

President
Venezia’s Pizzeria
Sector: Restaurant

Venezia’s Pizzeria has forged several key partnerships in the community over the last year that have been instrumental in our growth, including ASU Athletics, Phoenix Rising Football Club and Real Salt Lake-AZ youth soccer. As a local family-owned restaurant, we believe it is very important to engage in partnerships that demonstrate our support for local schools, sports teams and communitydriven organizations. These partnerships have not only showed our commitment to the community but also allowed us to gain visibility in front of new audiences and increase brand awareness — thus expanding our customer base and social media following.

We have seen year-over-year growth of 8 to 15 percent at each of our locations, have steadily increased our social media following, and have built a reputation in the community as a company that is charitable, communityminded and easy to work with. We take great pride in the relationships we have built over the last year and hope to continue to build strong partnerships in our community in 2020.

Venezia’s Pizzeria is a local, family-owned New York-style pizzeria that started in 1998 and now has five locations in Greater Phoenix. From classics to new and innovative menu items, Venezia’s serves fine authentic Italian food, using homemade recipes and only the freshest ingredients for all its dishes, including fresh tomatoes shipped straight from the San Marzano region of Italy.

TODD RICOTTA

Interim CEO and Executive Director
Arizona Care Network
Sector: Healthcare

In healthcare, strategic partnerships are the key to success. That is certainly true for Arizona Care Network, which collaborates with physicians and other health providers to coordinate care for more than 320,000 patients in Greater Phoenix. We provide high-quality, cost-effective care by identifying healthcare issues early — before they become more difficult and costly to treat — providing high-value services and resources to our providers and reducing waste in the healthcare system.

We also help patients become smarter, more engaged healthcare consumers. One recent innovation is a first-of-itskind partnership: ACN teamed with global pharmaceutical leader Boehringer Ingelheim on a mobile application that provides vital information and care coordination resources to our patients with type 2 diabetes, a potentially debilitating condition. Using patient-specific data technology, our free My Diabetes Program educates and empowers patients to effectively manage their condition and enlist ACN help as needed.

The significance of this technology cannot be overstated: One in 10 Americans has diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Todd Ricotta is CEO (interim) and executive director of Arizona Care Network, a group of 5,500 Arizona healthcare providers who work together to improve healthcare and reduce costs by actively managing care for their patients. ACN is a joint venture of Dignity Health Arizona and Abrazo Health, and includes hundreds of independent providers, along with access to Arizona’s leading pediatric health system through Phoenix Children’s Care Network.